GCSEs to blame for Laura Robson's tennis exit, says her mum

Making a senior match debut at Wimbledon would be more than enough for any 15-year-old to process. But ten days ago, Laura Robson had another important event on her mind - she was sitting her English GCSE exam. 

Laura - the youngest female to compete in the grass tournament since Martina Hingis in 1995 - was knocked out of the first round of the main event on Monday a year after she won the junior title. And her mum Kathy has blamed the pressures of her recent exam on the defeat.

"It was murder. What a nightmare that was trying to organise exams," she said. "Other kids don’t have that sort of pressure. I don't think it was really fair but we couldn’t change it. She wanted to enjoy herself – that was the main thing."

For her part, talented Laura, who is home schooled and sat her GCSE exam a year earlier than most girls her age, said after the match: "I'm just a little bit upset, but I'm pretty proud of myself."

The Melbourne-born hopeful, who holds a British passport and is ranked 488 in the world, lost to 26-year-old Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, ranked 33, despite winning the first set .

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